


The Most Important Meal of the Day

by StarkLove_Phyllis



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bad Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Good Boyfriend Stephen Strange, Good Boyfriend Tony Stark, Hand Wavey Magic, M/M, Married Couple, Not Canon Compliant, POV Stephen Strange, Soft Stephen Strange, Tony Stark Can't Cook, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is Not Helping, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, soft tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29439000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarkLove_Phyllis/pseuds/StarkLove_Phyllis
Summary: Stephen awakes on Valentine’s Day to an empty bed and loud noises coming from the kitchen. When he heads to investigate, he’s pleasantly surprised to find Tony attempting to make breakfast.Even if he does have to help.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 17
Kudos: 79





	The Most Important Meal of the Day

Stephen startles awake to a loud clamor coming from somewhere in the penthouse. A glance at the bedside clock tells him it’s far too early to start the day, which only further alarms him. He turns to check on his husband to instead find his half of the bed empty and the sheets cold, telling him he hasn’t been there for quite some time.

Tony is never up before Stephen. That’s just a fact. At this time, he is either still awake tinkering in his workshop — not having gone to bed yet — or he’s dead to the world and softly snoring. There is no in-between. And knowing that Tony went to sleep with him last night, the former is unlikely.

Grabbing his sling ring, Stephen quickly makes himself invisible and creeps quietly out of their bedroom, listening intently as he hears muttering coming from down the hall. He can hear things banging around and the sounds of someone rummaging through cabinets the closer he gets. Stilling where the wall ends just before entering their kitchen, the noises become clearer and Stephen is surprised by Tony’s voice after an unusually thunderous crash that makes his head whip around the corner to find out what all the commotion is. 

“Shit,” Tony curses as Stephen watches him bend to pick up the pots that fell to the floor. “God damn it. FRI, _please_ tell me I didn’t wake up Stephen.”

“I do not detect him, boss,” FRIDAY chimes.

_Clever girl_. Stephen never ceases to be amazed by how Tony’s creations actively discover ways to undermine him and he can’t stop the wink he gives the ceiling, even though he knows FRIDAY is unable to see it. He moves to stand behind the kitchen island and watch Tony, too curious as to why he’s awake to be concerned with respect for his privacy.

“Good, that’s good,” Tony breathes out. “Alright, I can do this. What are we attempting now, baby girl?”

“Might I suggest ordering in? Perhaps something from his favorite restaurant?”

It’s clear to Stephen that they are in no immediate danger — except for the fact that Tony appears to be trying to cook — which is a hazard in itself. And judging from his appearance, Tony has been at this a while.

He is covered head to toe in flour and what Stephen can only hope is some kind of batter. The sink is full of discarded pots and pans from previous botched attempts with various foods practically burned into them, so badly ruined that Stephen knows they’ll need to order a whole new set. Even the counters and floor are sticky with remnants of egg, grease and morsels of other items. It looks less like their kitchen and more like the scene of a cooking competition for children (although Stephen has seen a few of those and is unashamed to say that their attempts would probably have been more successful).

Stephen is shocked, but not by the now ruined kitchen. This isn’t the first time Tony has attempted to cook and he’s confident it won’t be the last, but each time he does try to, Tony manages to come indescribably close to burning the entire tower down. He’s more baffled on why he’s attempting to prepare breakfast given his history.

“No. It has to be better.” Tony hums as he ponders. “Need to do something special.”

“Based on the ingredients left in the fridge, I deduce you can make eggs and bacon.”

Tony’s mouth twists into a frown. “C’mon FRI, that can’t be it. Can we order more groceries? I’m genuinely trying here,” he says as he splays his arms out at the messy kitchen and the damage he’s already done. 

“According to Doctor Strange’s usual sleeping patterns, I believe it is best to work with what you have, Boss,” FRIDAY chimes in. “I can order more supplies but I fear that by the time you receive them and start... _attempting_ to cook again that he will be...present.”

Tony’s mood visibly sours at FRIDAY’s sound logic and the slight burn to his ego. “Alright sassy pants, eggs and bacon it is,” Tony grumbles. “Breakfast in bed is still good. Right?” He asks glancing up hopefully, even though he chastises Stephen for doing the same when he speaks to FRIDAY.

“I have reason to believe he will love whatever you do, Boss,” FRIDAY says, sounding more reassuring than something that isn’t human should be able to.

Stephen watches Tony’s lips curl slightly at the corner into a fond smirk at the confirmation before he offers a short nod and heads to the fridge to grab what is left of the remaining ingredients.

While they once had an abundant amount of breakfast items filling the fridge, Stephen can see that now there are only a handful of eggs and bacon left. He assumes the rest are now a part of the tiled floor or stuck to his husband.

Tony bumbles around for a clean frying pan, only unearthing it once FRIDAY directs him towards it. Stephen assumes this must be their last one based on the soiled dishes he spots. For being an Avenger, Tony is terribly loud and clumsy at this moment as he lets cupboards slam and dishes click together while he bustles back and forth. It makes Stephen question how he slept through his husband’s first few goes at breakfast.

“Alright, Stephen likes his eggs fried with the runny yolk,” Tony murmurs to himself. “How hard can that be?”

Stephen watches Tony crack two eggs into the pan and scrunches his nose at the amount of shell that has made its way in as well. “Damn it,” Tony curses when the yolks break instantly. “Screw it, scrambled eggs are good too.”

“My records indicate he does enjoy scrambled eggs as well,” his A.I. says, managing to put a slight smile on Tony’s face yet again. 

“And the bacon,” Tony absentmindedly mutters as he begins sifting through more cabinets in search of something he can use to cook the meat with. “FRI, do I have another pan somewhere? A clean one,” he adds as he looks forlornly at the mountain of discarded dishes in their sink.

“I believe you have used them all. Might I suggest the microwave? The bacon is precooked and doesn’t need to be fried according to the package.”

“Shit,” Tony grumbles. He spends a long few minutes glancing around the kitchen as if a dish might suddenly appear into thin air for him to use — which Stephen briefly considers doing — before Tony seemingly accepts his fate. “I _suppose_ it will have to do,” he huffs before making his way to the microwave with bacon in hand.

Stephen observes him set an abnormally long time for the bacon before hitting start. Tony’s phone rings right after and he stares at the screen hesitating to pick up before he ultimately decides to answer the call. Answering it on speaker, Pepper’s no-nonsense voice fills the room. She’s not thrilled Tony still hasn’t read one of their new contracts or signed the supposed document.

“Pep, can’t this wait? It’s Valentine’s Day,” Tony unashamedly whines.

“No, Tony, it can’t. You were supposed to have this to me last week. I know it’s a Sunday, but I need this now so I can put everything together for our meeting tomorrow at 8 a.m. sharp.”

“I’m trying to—“

“No buts, Tony. I need this now. If you just did it when I asked I wouldn’t be harassing you over the weekend. Believe me, I’d rather be doing anything else today too but here I am.”

“Fine,” Tony sighs in defeat. “Send it over again.”

The call drops without Pepper uttering another word, the chime of a recent message the only thing Stephen hears afterward. He watches Tony turn on the stove to let the eggs cook, asking FRIDAY to let him know if anything starts to burn before he picks up his StarkPad and moves to the living room, becoming engrossed in what he’s reading.

Stephen feels his stomach flutter and sour at the same time. He knows Tony is trying to do something special for Valentine’s Day, but Stephen is all too aware that with Tony’s attention focused on the document that he’s going to forget about the food until it’s too late. And if there is one thing Stephen hates more than anything else, it’s his husband being upset — _especially_ when it is with himself. Tony was always his own toughest critic despite all his accomplishments or attributes.

Still invisible to Tony, Stephen makes his way to the microwave to find the bacon black. He ever so slyly discards the burnt bacon and pops in the remaining few strips they have, heating them with his magic so Tony won’t hear the ding of the microwave. Wong would chew him out if he saw Stephen wielding his powers for such trivial things, but in Stephen’s mind, this was as good a cause as any.

A distinct sizzling sound draws his attention and Stephen sees the eggs have been cooking far too long and are most likely rubbery and stuck to the bottom of the pan. He selfishly uses the time stone to reverse the damage done and set them back to when his husband first dropped them in, even managing to remove the shells Tony missed.

Checking over his shoulder, he sees Tony is still sidetracked. Utilizing that to his advantage, he manages to stir the eggs around a bit until they start to firm and actually look edible. When they are virtually done he hears Tony toss his StarkPad onto the coffee table and stretch his limbs with a groan before standing and making his way back to the kitchen.

Stephen steps aside just in time and watches as Tony checks over the food. “Holy shit, this actually looks pretty delicious,” Tony says in astonishment. ”Or maybe I’m just hungry? Whatever, I'm counting this as a win.” His smile is divine as he marvels at his accomplishments and it makes Stephen grin in return for being able to give his husband that feeling of satisfaction.

Tony manages to finish the eggs without burning them and plates them with the perfectly cooked bacon that Stephen had taken it upon himself to fix. There isn’t enough for two plates because Tony managed to use all of their food with his previous endeavors, but Tony doesn’t seem to mind. And Stephen knows it’s because he’s doing this for him, even though they had agreed to not buy gifts or do anything this year besides stay in bed, relax and enjoy each other’s company. 

His husband places the sole dish on a tray along with silverware and two cups of coffee before addressing FRIDAY. “I’m going to take this to Stephen and wake him up. Can you get someone up here to hide the evidence of our failures, FRI?”

“Of course, I will notify housekeeping right away.”

Stephen teleports himself back to the room missing whatever else is said so he can make himself visible again and crawl back into bed, hastily slipping off his sling ring and placing it back on the nightstand. Quickly he burrows into the giant mess of blankets and closes his eyes just as Tony saunters in trying to be as quiet as possible. He detects the sound of Tony placing the tray on his own nightstand before the bed dips and fingers gently card through his hair.

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

Blinking owlishly as if he’s just awoken, Stephen leans into Tony’s touch and says, “Good morning, my love,” as groggily as possible. “Mmm, what is that delicious smell?”

The white lie is worth seeing Tony beam as he happily bounces where he sits, buzzing with excitement. “I know we said we weren’t going to get each other presents or do anything except relax, but I wanted to do something.” He grabs the tray of food and places it between himself and Stephen on the bed, careful to make sure the coffee doesn’t jostle too much and spill. “So, I made you breakfast in bed.”

Stephen sits up and gasps in faux surprise, pouring every bit of admiration he can into the look he gives Tony. “Wow, this looks incredible. You did all of this for me?”

“Well, duh.” Tony is adorably sheepish about the praise, ducking his head as his cheeks pinken. “I wanted to— I tried— I just thought you deserved something special.”

“We’ve been married for three years, sweetheart,” Stephen gently reminds him as he holds up a slender hand where his wedding band lies. “As long as I get to wake up to you, I don’t need anything extra.”

“Spreading it on extra-thick today are we handsome?” Tony cheekily snarks before leaning in and giving Stephen a tender, chaste kiss. “Now, eat already. Tell me what you think.”

It’s clear Tony is nervously awaiting his reaction. “Alright. Alright. I’m going,” Stephen chuckles. He scoops a forkful of eggs into his mouth and then follows that up with a strip of bacon at Tony’s request, wanting him to taste everything before he responds. When he swallows, he catches Tony’s expectant gaze. “This is the best breakfast I’ve ever had.”

Tony fondly rolls his eyes. “Oh my god, _you liar._ You are extra cheesy this morning, aren’t you?”

“Why would I be lying?”

“Because we both know I’m a terrible cook and this is the only thing I managed to not ruin this morning. You can be honest. It’s okay?”

Taking a good look at his husband, Stephen can see the flour still sticking to Tony’s eyelashes, dusting his cheeks and sprinkled throughout his disheveled bed head. There’s a smear of what looks like pancake batter on his forehead and splattered all down his arms. “You genuinely want me to be honest?” Stephen asks as he cups Tony's face with one hand and idly brushes some of the mess off with his thumb.

“Yes,” Tony softly says, chewing at his bottom lip.

“It is extremely divine, but I would much rather have something else for breakfast,” Stephen says as his hand drops from Tony’s cheek.

“Oh,” Tony says dejectedly, casting his gaze downwards.

Stephen witnesses the way he visibly slumps. He knows Tony is mentally berating himself right now. “You didn’t allow me to finish.” Tony’s head snaps up as Stephen moves the tray to his nightstand and he quizzically stares at Stephen. “What I meant when I mentioned I’d rather have something else,” Stephen rasps as he inches closer to Tony and kisses him, only pulling back to mutter, “is that I’d rather be tasting _you_ ,” against his lips.

Tony’s breath hitches and Stephen can detect the faint way his lips smirk in amusement. “Oh? Well, if you’re still hungry…” Tony trails off, pulling Stephen on top of him as he collapses backward onto the bed. And Stephen happily follows, eager to devour his husband. 

After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.


End file.
